Secret Service says Nashville man sought card-skimming device

A Nashville man who recently completed a prison term after he was found hiding an ATM in his closet to help perfect his mission to make fake credit cards is in trouble with the law again.

Pavan Voleti was released from prison in January after a 15-month sentence for possession of device-making equipment and possessing counterfeit credit cards.

A spokesman for the Secret Service in Nashville said Voleti bought a 400-pound ATM and was using it to make better fake credit cards and intended to set it up to steal other people's credit card numbers.

"He was testing how to put these skimming devices on it," said Secret Service Agent Keith Perrigan.

Perrigan said Voleti had also tested hidden cameras and skimmer equipment with the ATM.

Perrigan said the hidden cameras were intended to catch customers' fingers touching the keypad when they entered their PIN number, and the skimmer devices were intended to steal debit and credit card information.

Now, according to court records obtained by the Channel 4 I-Team, just months after Voleti's release, the Secret Service has intercepted mail intended for him that contained a device for skimming credit cards.

On June 18, the Secret Service obtained a warrant to enter Voleti's residence, where agents found numerous pieces of equipment designed for the production of fraudulent credit cards.

According to court records, when Voleti's probation officer asked why he would risk returning to prison, the suspect said it was "madness or an addiction."

The Channel 4 I-Team has tried contacting Voleti's public defender for comment, but we haven't heard back.

The mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead has sparked calls for walkouts, sit-ins and other actions on school campuses nationwide aimed at pushing lawmakers to pass tougher gun laws.

The mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead has sparked calls for walkouts, sit-ins and other actions on school campuses nationwide aimed at pushing lawmakers to pass tougher gun laws.